Veronica divaricata Boiss. & Balansa in Boiss.

Diagnoses Plantarum Orientalum Novarum, ser. 2, 3: 173 (Boissier 1856), nom. illeg. (Art. 53.1; non V. divaricata Tausch).

TYPE CITATION. — Turkey, Mersin: “Hab. circa pagum Ala Dagh sex leucis ad septentrionem portus Mersina in Cilicia sito cl. Balansa. Floret Maio”.

LECTOTYPE (designated here). — “B. Balansa, Pl. d’Orient, 1855. 688. Veronica divaricata, sp. nov. (Boiss.) Village d’Alla-Dagh, à 7 lieues au NNO. de Mersina (Cilicie). 16. Mai”, G[G00343615*].

ISOLECTOTYPES (designated here). — BP[BP348578!], FI[FI009713*], G[G00343614!, G00343617!], GH[GH00091939!], GOET[GOET011120!], JE[JE00000133!*], K[K001070256*], KW!, MPU!, P[P03529343*, P03529344*, P03529345*], US[US00324050], W!, WAG[WAG0004900 *].

Nomenclatural note. Boissier and Balansa (Boissier 1856) were the first to recognize the distinctiveness of these plants but chose an illegitimate name, V. divaricata, a fact later corrected by Stroh (1942) who chose to recognize Balansa in the name of this species. Veronica balansae (Stroh) belongs to V. sect. Acinifolia and to the large-flowered group but differs from V. syriaca and others in capsules broader than 5 mm and with divergent lobes.